45 Easy Cleaning Hacks For Every Inch Of Your Home

Easy cleaning tips for stoves, shower doors, blinds, and even ovens.

The Best Cleaning Hacks For A Tidy House

During the course of my 12 or so years of blogging, I’ve collected dozens (if not hundreds) of great home cleaning hacks. As I’ve reflected on some of the cleaning hacks, tips, and tricks I’ve shared over the years, I thought it might be useful to compile my very best cleaning hacks in one place!

This has since become one of my most popular blog posts, and every tip in this list can save you time and effort, regardless of where or what you’re cleaning. (And if you’ve ever wondered how to clean faster, be sure to check out my Golden Rules Of Cleaning, too!)

45 Easy Cleaning Hacks For Every Space In Your Home

A tip for cleaning your garbage disposal is to freeze lemon peel in ice cubes and grind a few up in the disposal.
Vinegar and lemon are two of my favorite cleaning hack assistants!

1. Use Lemons To Sanitize Your Garbage Disposal

When your garbage disposal starts to smell, the odor can overpower your whole kitchen. Banish funky disposal odors and replace them with the fresh, clean scent of lemons? With the help of vinegar and a lemon, your garbage disposal won’t just smell better — it will work better, too!

Read More: How To Clean And Freshen Your Garbage Disposal The Easy Way

2. Use Baking Soda And Vinegar To Unclog Your Sink

Think back to elementary school, middle school, or high school science, and you might recall a classic science fair standby: the baking soda and vinegar volcano. But instead of using them to cause a small-scale eruption, you can put this powerful one-two punch to work to solve a common household problem: a clogged or sluggish sink.

Read More: How To Unclog A Sink Using Just 2 Natural Ingredients

3. Clean The Inside Of Your Dishwasher

Your dishwasher works hard to keep your dishes clean, but it needs to be cleaned from time to time too! I’ve got 3 cleaning hacks that will help eliminate any grimy buildup lurking in your dishwasher, which will not only ensure it leaves your dishes sparkling clean, but will also sort out any drainage problems you may be experiencing.

Read More: How To Clean Your Dishwasher In 3 Easy Steps (And Fix Most Dishwasher Problems)

You can clean almost anything in your home borax.
When I started writing One Good Thing, I had no idea how often Borax would feature in my best cleaning tips and tricks.

4. Use Borax To Clean (Almost) Anything

If you’re not already a fan, you’ve been missing out! Simply put: borax is one of the most useful home cleaning products, period! Check out the link below to learn more about this wonder mineral and the many ways you can use it around the house. From cleaning carpets to dissolving sticky messes, the possibilities are nearly endless.

Read More: Is Borax Actually Useful? These 27 Tips Say Yes

5. Deodorize Your Garbage Can

Why settle for a smelly garbage can when you can eliminate odors with homemade deodorizing disks? Not only are they easy to make, but they’re great for stinky trash cans, diaper pails, litter boxes, and even small spaces. And did I mention they’ll leave your home smelling fresh and clean for an entire month?

Read More: This 10-Minute DIY Will Solve Your Odor Problems

6. Clean And Sanitize Your Cutting Board

Regardless of the material your cutting board is made of, it’s important to keep it clean and sanitary. This easy cleaning hack uses soapy water and a whole lemon to sanitize plastic surfaces while removing lingering odors.

Read More: Here’s How To Get Rid Of All The Worst Household Odors

Oven rack cleaning hack: put a dryer sheet into a bathtub with an oven rack and pour dish soap onto the oven rack. Let soak.
This easy cleaning hack for greasy, grimy oven racks should be in the Hall of Fame!

7. Remove Gunk From Oven Racks

Oven racks accumulate all kinds of crusted-on messes and greasy food residues. While cleaning your oven racks can seem like an overwhelming task, there’s actually a secret that makes it unbelievably easy, and it involves dryer sheets. (Don’t mock it ’til you try it — it really works!)

Read More: How To Clean Oven Racks With Ease: A Surprising Way To Clean Your Dirty Oven Racks

8. Clean Your Oven The Easy Way

Of course, it’s not just oven racks that need cleaning; the space inside of your oven needs cleaning too. If you’ve ever spent hours scrubbing your oven’s interior, you might assume that the process always requires hours of back-breaking labor, but not with this method! Here, most of the magic happens overnight while you’re slumbering peacefully.

Read More: How To Clean Your Oven While You Sleep (Seriously!)

9. Clean Your Stove Burners Without Scrubbing

Cleaning stove burners and burner pans used to be another frustrating cleaning tasks, but not anymore! This is another “let it sit” cleaning hack that requires a lot less elbow grease.

Read More: How To Clean Stove Burners With Ammonia And Zero Elbow Grease

Baking soda and vinegar are the keys to a lot of quick cleaning hacks.
The chemical reaction of baking soda and vinegar makes cleaning tough messes so much easier.

10. Steam Clean Your Glass Stovetop

Glass cooktops look stunning when they’re clean, but over time they can be dulled by grease and grime from everyday use. This hack uses an unlikely (but highly effective) cleaning agent to restore glass cooktops to a sparkling clean state: steam!

Read More: A Simple And Effective Way To Clean Your Glass Stovetop

11. Clean Grimy Kitchen Cabinets With Two Ingredients

If your house is anything like mine, your kitchen cabinets seem to get coated in greasy gunk shockingly quickly. But you can make short work of all that gunk using one of my all-time favorite cleaning hacks, and you only need 2 common cleaning ingredients to do it.

Read More: How To Clean Grimy Kitchen Cabinets With 2 Ingredients

12. Steam Clean Your Microwave

Sure, you could spend a lot of time and effort scrubbing your microwave clean, but why not let the microwave do the hard work instead? This brilliant hack creates a steamy environment that helps break down splatters and residue so they’re much easier to wipe away.

Read More: How To Clean A Microwave: With AND Without Vinegar

Clean range hood filters faster by boiling them in a big pot.
This simple method for cleaning your range hood’s greasy filter is the definition of “cleaning hack.” So smart and easy!

13. Clean Your Range Hood Filter In A Stockpot

Your range hood helps keep your kitchen and the air inside it clean, but it can’t do either of those things if the filter is clogged up with grease. This hack is the easiest way I’ve found to clean said filter, and it involves boiling it in a stockpot. (Yes, you read that right!)

Read More: This Is The Easiest Way To Clean Your Range Hood Filter

14. Remove Scorched Food From Pots And Pans

Some burnt food residues can be especially tough to scrub out of your cookware, but it’s a lot easier if you know which cleaners work best! Check out 3 tried-and-true methods for cleaning scorched messes out of pots and pans.

Read More: 3 Easy And Effective Ways To Remove Burnt Messes From Cookware

15. Erase Scratches On Your Dishes

White dishes have a crisp, clean aesthetic, but they can end up looking scuffed, scraped, and scratched from everyday utensil use. A good scrub with Bar Keeper’s Friend scouring powder (one of my favorite easy cleaning hacks in its own right!) returns them to like-new status.

Read More: How To Make Your Scratched Dishes Look Brand New

Pouring hydrogen peroxide onto a cookie sheet with baking soda and rubbing the baking soda into a cookie sheet is a great sheet pan cleaning hack.
This cleaning hack is one of the first ones I ever tried, and it still a deserves a grand prize!

16. Make Cookie Sheets Look Like New

It may seem like that brown residue on your cookie sheets is here to stay, but this 2 ingredient method will have them gleaming as beautifully as they did on the day you brought them home.

Read More: These Are The Most Effective Ways To Clean Baking Sheets

17. Use Your Microwave To Sanitize Sponges

Sponges can be prime breeding grounds for bacteria, especially if they’re left damp in the sink. Luckily, there’s an easy way to zap away this problem! Microwave your wet sponge for one minute to kill bacteria.

18. Use Bread To Pick Up Broken Glass

Rather than trying to use your fingers for picking up tiny glass shards (ouch!), just grab a piece of bread. The spongy texture of the bread will grab onto any hard-to-see shards so you don’t discover them later with your feet.

Magic Erasers make cleaning a lot of things in your home a lot faster.
I’m not sure how we ever kept our homes & belongings clean without Magic Erasers! The things they can do….

19. Tackle Tough Jobs With Magic Erasers

Magic erasers are great for cleaning everything from phone cases to baseboards. These foam blocks make short work of tasks that can be difficult to complete otherwise, like erasing stubborn scuff marks and tackling dried spills and splatters.

Read More: 7 Incredible Things You Can Clean With A Magic Eraser

20. Deodorize Your Coffee Grinder With White Rice

Even if you love the aroma of coffee, that doesn’t mean you want everything you grind you smell like coffee. Before grinding something else in it, use a handful of uncooked rice to clean and deodorize it.

Related: Used Coffee Grounds? Here Are 20 Surprising Ways To Use Them

21. Scrub Cast Iron Pans With A Potato

It may sound like a prank, but it works! Clean cast iron pans without worrying about damaging them with the help of coarse salt and half a potato. You won’t believe how easily they break down messes!

DIY carpet cleaner does a fast job of cleaning carpets.

22. Make DIY Carpet Cleaner Solution

Even if the carpet cleaner itself is a good deal, the recommended cleaning solution can cost an arm and a leg. This DIY carpet cleaning solution just might change your life! Dirt, stains, and germs don’t stand a chance.

Read More: Make This Carpet Machine Solution To Save A Fortune

23. Use A Sock As A Swiffer Pad

If you don’t want to pay a premium for pricey refills for your Swiffer Sweeper or WetJet, you can use a fuzzy sock instead. Just slip the sock onto the base and all the floors in your home will be sparkling in no time!

Related: 3 Money-Saving Hacks You Need To Know If You Use A Swiffer

24. Steam Away Tough Carpet Stains

Even the most stubborn carpet stains are no match for this tip, which I consider one of the best cleaning hacks I’ve ever come across! All you need is household ammonia, a spray bottle, and your clothes iron to remove tough carpet stains — even ones that have been there for months! (Tougher stains may take some extra elbow grease, but the impressive end result makes it well worth the effort.)

Read More: How To Clean Carpet: Treating Stains, The Best DIYs, & More

A bit of rubbing alcohol and a scrub brush make it fast and easy to clean microfiber furniture.

25. Make Your Microfiber Couch Look Brand New

Upholstered furniture is a significant investment. Unfortunately, regular wear and tear can leave your microfiber chairs, couches and sofas with a dirty and dingy appearance. My favorite fix for this problem? A little rubbing alcohol and a scrub brush has them looking as nice as the day you bought them.

Read More: Here’s How To Clean A Microfiber Couch So It Looks Brand New

26. Use This Simple Trick To Clean Your Ceiling Fans

Tired of dust flying around your home whenever you switch on your ceiling fan? Many people put off this chore because conventional cleaning methods can be arduous. Not only does this hack take mere seconds to clean each blade, but all you need is an old pillowcase to get the job done.

Read More: The 2 Things You Need To Do To Your Ceiling Fans ASAP

27. Find The Smartest Way To Clean Your Blinds

The best methods for cleaning blinds largely depends on what kind of blinds you have. From faux-wood to vinyl to vertical, I’ve rounded up the best cleaning tips for several common types of window blinds.

Read More: The Best Way To Clean All The Blinds In Your House

Cleaning hack for spilled wax on a rug: use your iron and old newspapers.
I just love a cleaning tip that makes use of something you already have, but used in a totally different way!

28. Remove Candle Wax From Your Carpet

Candle wax and carpeting is not a good combination. But accidents happen, and when they do, it IS possible to remove candle wax from your carpets. You’ll need an iron, lots of newspapers to blot with, and even more patience, but the end result will be well worth the effort. Learn how at the link below.

Read More: How To Clean Carpet: Treating Stains, The Best DIYs, & More

29. Use Drano To Scrub Away Concrete Stains

Leaky exhausts and transmissions in older cars can create unsightly stains on the floor of your driveway and garage. But I’ve got a secret weapon in my arsenal that can help you scrub those stains away in a jiffy: household drain cleaner. So grab that Drano and get cleaning.

Read More: This Strange Product Is The Best For Cleaning Stains From Concrete

30. Clean Your Vents With Turtle Wax

As it turns out, Turtle Wax isn’t only useful for cleaning your car. It’s also very effective at removing debris and dirt from your vents. Just apply a small amount, and the dust wipes right off.

Deep clean your combs and hairbrushes easily with a tub of water and some dishwashing detergent.
Oh Dawn! How much do I use thee to keep my home clean? Let me count the ways!

31. Deep Clean Combs And Hair Brushes

Cleaning my combs and brushes isn’t the first task that comes to mind when I think of keeping house. However, the truth is that brushes and combs are full of all kinds of nasty stuff, including old hair, dust, dead skin, and product buildup. Luckily, a simple soak in warm soapy water removes bacteria and other residue for good-as-new hair brushes and combs.

Read More: 9 Things In Your Bathroom You Probably Aren’t Cleaning Enough

32. Use A Trivet To Wash Your Makeup Brushes

Dirty makeup brushes are incredibly unhygienic, and they don’t work as well as clean brushes, either! They’re also expensive, meaning you want to get the most life out of them as possible. Instead of replacing dirty makeup brushes, use this hack to get them fresh, clean, and ready to work their magic.

Read More: How To Clean Makeup Brushes And Why It’s So Important

33. Clean The Plates On Your Flat Iron

Your flat iron helps you leave the house looking your best every day, and for that, you owe it a debt of gratitude. If you use hairspray or other hair products when using your flat iron and other styling tools, grimy residue can build up quickly. Instead of letting it get increasingly gross, give my “miracle cleaner” a try instead!

Read More: How To Clean Your Flat Iron So It Looks Like New

A streak-free diy window spray will let you clean windows and mirrors faster.

34. Make Glass And Mirrors Shine

Is there any greater eyesore in a home than smudged, streaked windows and mirrors? Just a few household ingredients will have your glass crystal clear in no time.

Read More: Make Your Glass Surfaces Sparkle With These Reliable Cleaners

36. Clean Your Computer With Vinegar

Step away from the acetone, ethyl alcohol, and ethyl chloride. The safest (and easiest) way to tidy up your computer is with a microfiber cloth and a bit of white vinegar. (A cotton swab moistened with vinegar is the perfect tool for nooks, crannies, corners, and other tight spaces.)

Read More: Grimy Screen? This Is The Super Simple Cleaner You Need

To clean shoes faster, use toothpaste.
A product we use to clean our teeth every day, used in a completely surprising way! That’s what I call a cleaning hack.

36. Clean Sneakers With Toothpaste

Working hard and playing hard can add up to some pretty grimy looking tennis shoes. Just grab an old toothbrush and a small amount of toothpaste to clean up your kicks in no time.

Read More: Here’s How To Clean Canvas Shoes (Yes, Even White Ones!)

37. Pick Up Glitter With Play-Doh Or Tape

Any parent whose kids have ever gone through a crafting phase is no fan of glitter. You don’t have to spend the rest of your life discovering it everywhere. Instead, use a ball of Play-Doh (or a circle of tape) to lift it right up. (Or even better, turn it into a game and enlist your kids’ help!)

Related: This Is The Single Best Way To Clean Your Area Rugs

Clean and shine jewelry quickly with water, dish soap, and a toothbrush.

38. Make Your Rings Shine

Household cleansers contain harsh chemicals that can damage precious metals. The safest way to clean your rings is to soak them in a solution of hot water and dish soap before using a soft toothbrush to brush away any lingering residue. Works for earrings too!

Related: Easy Ways To Keep All Of Your Jewelry Sparkling Clean

39. Banish Funky Smells From Bath Towels

I hope you haven’t put away your vinegar and baking soda just yet! If your bath towels have been smelling less-than-fresh lately — even after you’ve washed them — this cleaning combo will come in handy yet again. Mildew and detergent residues can lead to odor and absorbency issues, but this most brilliant of cleaning hacks will restore them to a cleaner, fresher state.

Read More: Smelly Towels? This Is The One Easy Fix You Need To Try

40. Remove Mineral Buildup From Your Shower Head

Hard water and limescale cause unsightly white streaks and a slower flow of water. They can even damage skin and hair. If you’re dealing with these issues, buildup on your showerhead may be the culprit. A quick soak in vinegar makes short work of the problem.

Read More: 8 Of The Best Ways To Use White Vinegar To Clean Your Bathroom

Unclog a toilet fast with hot water and Dawn.
Thankfully this secret toilet trick isn’t a SECRET anymore!

41. Use This Secret Plumbers’ Trick To Unclog A Toilet

Have a clog but no plunger? We’ve all faced an unexpected toilet crisis at one point or another. There’s no need to wallow in despair when it happens. Instead, use this three-step process to deal with the situation. One word of advice? Learn it now so you’ll be ready in a pinch.

Read More: These Are The Best Ways To Unclog A Toilet In An Emergency

42. Keep Your Shower Clean

You shower often, so why not take advantage of that time to keep your shower clean? Just keep a scrub brush full of your favorite homemade cleaning solution within reach. Then you can easily give your shower door and walls a quick scrub to remove soap scum, water spots and other grime as needed!

Related: 11 Clever Cleaning Shortcuts That Will Save You So Much Time

43. Eliminate Water Spots With Shaving Cream

Water stains are unsightly on shower glass, but it couldn’t be easier to eliminate them. Just apply shaving cream to water stains for 15 minutes before wiping off then prepare to see some serious sparkle.

Related: 11 Unusual (But Useful) Things You Can Do With Shaving Cream

Use a rubber glove to wipe pet hair off furniture fast.

44. Pick Up Pet Hair With A Rubber Glove

Pets bring a lot of joy into our lives, but they also bring something much less desirable: hair. Keeping your pillows and upholstery free of dog and cat hair can feel like a lost cause, but there’s a simple way to deal with the problem. Just don a rubber glove and drag it across your upholstery to easily remove pet hair. No lint roller or roller sheets required!

Related: 11 Clever Cleaning Shortcuts That Will Save You So Much Time

45. Clean And Freshen Your Mattress

It may not be visible to the naked eye, but all of the dead skin and sweat we leave behind on our mattresses adds up over time, potentially shortening the lifespan of your mattress. Luckily, a simple combination of baking soda and essential oils can freshen up your mattress just like that.

Read More: How To Clean Your Mattress (And Why You Should Do It Regularly)

What are your favorite easy cleaning hacks?

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Jill Nystul Photo

Jill Nystul (aka Jillee)

Jill Nystul is an accomplished writer and author who founded the blog One Good Thing by Jillee in 2011. With over 30 years of experience in homemaking, she has become a trusted resource for contemporary homemakers by offering practical solutions to everyday household challenges.I share creative homemaking and lifestyle solutions that make your life easier and more enjoyable!

About Jillee

Jill Nystul

Jill’s 30 years of homemaking experience, make her the trusted source for practical household solutions.

About Jillee

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12 Comments

  1. I love all of the detail that you have put into this! So many great tips Jillee! You’re as passionate of a cleaner as the crew we have (http://www.slchousecleaners.com). I’m definitely going to pass these tips on to my clients, and share your page to help them keep their homes clean and tidy!!! Great content, and thank you so much!!

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  2. Im dying to try out the Dryer sheets on the my oven rack, those are a nightmare. i have a hard time believing this works but well see! using lemons in ice cubes to sanitize the garbage disposal was so creative. definitely my favorite. thanks a to! love your articles.

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  3. For the range hood filter I spray it with some good de-greeser, let sit for a bit and then run it through the dishwasher. Squeaky clean. I do it as part of the monthly maintenance. A good few things can be put through the dishwasher. I do my glass shades on my ceiling lights as well as stove grates to name a few…

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  4. Thank you for all the great posts! I save them all so I can easily refer to them when I need help!

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  5. Jillee, you have surely posted some of the best cleaning tips and tricks. I loved to get them in one place. Thanks for this post. :)

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  6. Going to babysit at my daughter’s house while I’m off work for the holiday. I will surprise her with some of these on her house!

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  7. I just put the cooking filter in the dishwasher to clean it!

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  8. This is a great collection of cleaning tips :) I will try to clean my filter by using a stock pot!

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  9. Thanks Jillee for putting these cleaning hacks in one place! Great ideas here! Now I can refer to the answer to most every cleaning problem quickly and easily!

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  10. You have some great ideas. I’ve tried some and they really do work. I’m anxious to try some of these cleaning hacks. Thanks again and keep the great ideas coming.

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